We hope this information will be of service in your time of need. If you have any questions in reference to your fire, call us at 741-2900.

UNINSURED

If you are not insured, your recovery from a fire loss will be based upon your own resources and help from outside organizations.

Private organizations in this area that lend assistance include The Salvation Army (454-0921), The American Red Cross - Greater Kansas City Chapter (469-1260), Lion's Club (836-5466), and Catholic Social Services (459-9615).

Your private church or synagogue can also put you in touch with your denomination's helping group. Each can help with food, rent, utilities, and other services.

If your fire is a result of a natural disaster, both private and government sponsored services usually work together to coordinate services for those in need. The American Red Cross will refer you to a network of groups that will help you with clothing and furnishings.

INSURED

Your homeowners or rental insurance policy is a contract between you and the insurer. The insurer promises to do certain things for you. In turn, you have certain obligations to them.

Your duties after a fire loss include:

- Giving immediate notice of the loss to the insurance company or your agent.
- Protecting the property from further damage by making reasonable repairs, such as covering holes in the roof or wall.
- Taking reasonable precautions against loss, such as draining water lines in winter if the house will be unheated for some time. (The insurer can refuse to pay losses which occur from not taking such reasonable care.) If conditions permitted, we made some of those accommodations prior to releasing the structure back to you. If more work is needed, seek help from a licensed contractor.
- Making an inventory of damaged personal property showing in detail the quality, description, what you paid for the items when purchased, how long you had the items, the amount of damage sustained, and a replacement price. Include with the inventory any bills or documents which can help to establish the items' value.
- Cooperating with the insurer or adjuster by exhibiting the damaged property. - Submitting within a stated time period a formal statement of loss.

Your statement of loss includes:

- The time and cause of the loss.
- Name and addresses of those who have an interest in the property (including the mortgage holder, a separated or divorced spouse, or lien holder).
- Building plans and specifications of the original home and a detailed estimate for repairs.
- The damaged inventory.
- Receipts for additional living expenses and loss of use claims.

Besides your obligations to the insurer, you may have a responsibility to your mortgage company. They "own" a portion of your dwelling and are interested in seeing that the investment is handled properly. You may need to fill out forms for them and mail them back. It will be to your mutual advantage to work together at this time.

TAXES

Losses due to a fire are deductible from your Federal Income Tax.

You will need to keep receipts and records of the money that is spent in repairing or replacing damaged property. This includes your living expenses during the loss recovery period. These records and receipts will be the basis for calculating the casuality loss on your income tax.

For information about the rules governing casualty losses, contact the Internal Revenue Service at (800) 829-3676 for a copy of Publication 547, Tax Information on Disasters, Casuality Losses and Thefts. Or call your accountant.

VALUING YOUR LOSS

In adjusting your fire loss, you will be given different viewpoints on the value of your property. Here are a few you will encounter:

- Your Personal Valuation: Your personal valuation of goods lost in a fire can't be measured, but it can certainly be sympathized with. But while personal items have a sentimental value, that's different from an objective measure of value, which is what you, the insurer, and the Internal Revenue Service will use as a common ground for discussion.

- Fair Market Value Before the Fire: This concept is also expressed as actual cash value. This is what you could have gotten for the item if you had sold it the day before the fire. The price would reflect its cost at the time of purchase and the wear it had sustained since then. Depreciation is the formal term to express the amount of value an item has lost over a period of time.

- Value After the Fire: This is sometimes called the item's salvage value. - Cost to Replace the Item with a Like Item: This is the item's replacement cost.

Actual cash value is the basis for most insurance agreements. That is, the insurer agrees to pay for the property you lost, at its value the day of the loss. You will need to check with your insurer on the type of agreement you have. The standard homeowner's policy covers buildings at replacement cost without deduction for depreciation if you are 80 percent or more insured. If you are not 80 percent insured, the insurance company will pay the larger of either actual cash value of the structural damage or the cost to replace the damage times your percentage insured.

For example, you have a fire in your master bedroom, and the cost to repair the damage is $15,000. Your home is valued at $130,000. If you have insured $104,000 (80% of the value) or more of your dwelling, the insurer will pay the total cost of the $15,000 minus the deductible.

If your insurance is $78,000, the insurer will pay the larger of the following computations:

- $15,000 times 60% (your percent insured) or $9,000.

- The value of your home ($130,000) times the area affected by the fire (1/6) times the depreciation (your home is 5 years old; its life span is 20 years, so the figure is 1/5). Thus the insurer will pay you $4,332. ($130,000 X 1/6 X 1/5 = $4,332)

ADJUSTING YOUR LOSS

Loss adjustment is the process of establishing the value of the damaged property. The owner or occupant and the insurance company or its representatives are the basic parties to this process.

The owner or occupant is bound by the insurance contract to prepare an inventory and cooperate in the loss valuation process. The insurance company provides the loss or claim adjuster. An insurance agent acts as the adjuster if the loss is small, or the insurer may send an adjuster who is a permanent member of the insurer's staff, or the company may hire an "independent" adjuster to act in its behalf. (The adjuster is paid by the insurance company based on time and costs. Your settlement has no relationship to his income.) It is the insurance adjuster's job to monitor and assist in the loss valuation process and to bring the loss to a just and equitable settlement.

Either you or the insurer may hire the services of a fire restoration firm or fire damage service company. These firms provide a range of services that may include some or all of the following:

- Securing the site against further damage
- Estimating structural damage
- Repairing structural damage
- Estimating the cost to repair or renew items of personal property
- Packing, transporting, and storing of household items
- Securing appropriate cleaning or repair subcontractors
- Storing repaired items until needed.

These companies may be found in the Yellow Pages under Fire and Water Damage Restoration. The costs of the firm's services is the sum of all expenses incurred plus a percentage fee.

It is important to coordinate with the insurance adjuster before contracting for any services. You may invade the insurer's responsibility area by contracting without knowledge or consent. This may leave you with bills to pay that otherwise would have been covered by the insurer.

A general contractor may be needed to estimate the cost to repair structural damage. The estimating contractor may or may not be the executing contractor. The insurance company may send a contractor to estimate the work. However, you may select to pay your own contractor if you want an independent estimate.

It is important to pick a contractor familiar with insurance companies' estimating requirements. These are more detailed and specific than may be encountered in the normal course of business. The insurer may want a written, itemized statement of all work, and interim and final completion dates. It is also in your best interest that work, costs, and dates be formally spelled out. Ask for your insurer's confirmation that additional living expenses will be covered if there is a delay in the construction process.

Finally, the owner may exercise the option to hire and pay a public adjuster to act in the owner's behalf in settling the loss with the insurance company. The public adjuster will work with the owner and the insurance adjuster to prepare the inventory and establish the value of the loss. The public adjuster's fee is a percentage of the total insurance settlement, including additional living expense claims.

Most insured individuals are requested by their agent to make a pre-fire household inventory. A pre-fire inventory, or even photographs taken before the fire, can help immeasurably in the claim estimating procedure.

You may find the post-fire inventory process difficult and upsetting. However, try to take the time necessary to assure that the inventory and estimate are complete. You may want to go over the damaged area more than once. But it is also important to avoid unnecessary delay. Water-soaked furniture may smell. Sooted rugs and drapes may prove more difficult to clean with the passage of time. Mildew may develop on damp items. Timely action works to reduce additional loss.

Some people have found it helpful to use a tape recorder to create the basic list of damaged items. They then transcribed the list onto inventory forms provided by their insurance agent or adjuster. Others have found that photographs prove valuable in recording specific damage.

Next, value the loss. This will be on an actual cash value or replacement cost basis, depending on your policy. Receipts are helpful in establishing the items' original value. Insurers understand that in most cases people cannot provide receipts for all the damaged items; such evidence may even have been destroyed in the fire. Nonetheless, the insurer and insured must come to an agreement about the value of damaged articles. If this cannot be arrived at in the loss adjustment process, provision is made in the policy for the appraisal of goods and the arbitration of differences.

Some insurance policies give the insurer the option to repair or replace an item, whichever is less. Other policies give the option to the owner. In either case, when the dollar value of the property has been transferred to the owner, the property belongs to the insurer and may be disposed of by the company for its salvage value.

Once the proof of loss statement has been submitted to the insurer (you will have between 30 and 60 days in which to do this), your claim has been established. If there are no appraisals outstanding, the insurer has up to 60 days (it may vary) in which to pay the claim. Some elements of your total claim may drag on longer. For instance, progress payments will be arranged with the contractor for major reconstruction work and your additional living expense claims may stretch out until you occupy the permanent dwelling. Keep in mind, your cashing of the payment check indicates your agreement with that portion of the settlement.

REPLACING DOCUMENTS

Use this checklist to replace documents that were destroyed. Ask each about its particular replacement process.

Driver's Licenses, License Plates, Registration & Titles
Missouri Dept. of Revenue
Gladstone: 6553 N. Oak Trfwy, 436-6555
North Kansas City: 2600 N. Burlington, 741-5280
Platte Woods: 6500 NW Tower Drive, 741-5200

Social Security or Medicare Cards
Gladstone SS Field Office 1-800-772-1213

Animal Tags/papers
Lost Dog Registry 333-0020

Bank Books/papers
Your bank, ASAP

Insurance Policies
Your insurance agent

Military Discharge Papers
Veterans Department of Affairs Administration
601E. 12th St.
(816) 426-2210

Passports
(816) 374-9359
or reapply at any U.S. Post Office
- Parkville Post Office: 741-2971
- Farley Post Office: 546-3344

Divorce Papers
Circuit Court where decree was issued

Credit Cards
The issuing company, ASAP

Titles and Deeds
Platte County Clerk: 858-2232

Wills
Your Lawyer

Medical records
Your doctor

Warranties
Issuing company

Income Tax records
Internal Revenue Service
Kansas City, MO
(800) 829-1040

Citizenship Papers
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization
9747 N. Conant Ave
(816) 891-0603

Stocks & Bonds
Issuing company or your broker

Prepaid burial contracts
Issuing company

Damaged US Currency
Federal Reserve Bank
925 Grand Ave.
Kansas City, MO
(816) 881-2000

CLEAN-UP TIPS

If you've chosen to clean your possessions yourself instead of having them professionally cleaned, follow these guidelines with care.

Keep in mind that the fire was extinguished with water. Water can do a lot of damage and can travel to many hidden areas.

Clothing

A chemical called tri-sodium phosphate, which can be bought at a hardware store under the brand names TSP or Oakkite, will help clean the smoke odor and soot from fabrics.

Tri-sodium phosphate is a caustic substance; it should be handled with care and stored out of reach from children and pets. You'll need to wear rubber gloves while using it.

Mix the following solution:
4-6 tbsp. Tri-Sodium Phosphate
1 cup Lysol or any household chlorine bleach
1 gal warm water
Add clothes that can be bleached and rinse with clear water. Dry well. Make sure you test colored garments before treating a whole batch.

To remove mildew, wash the fresh stain with soap and warm water. Then rinse and dry in the sun. If the stain has not disappeared, use lemon juice and salt or a diluted solution of household bleach.

If clothing is wet or damp, dry it in a well-ventilated area. Prior to taking woolen, silk, or rayon materials to the dry cleaners, dry, brush, and shake them free of debris.

Utilities

Your gas and electricity were probably turned off during the incident. To restore these, you should contact your service company:

Kansas City Power and Light: (816) 471-5275
Missouri Public Electric (Farley Area): (816) 464-2900
Missouri Gas Energy: (816) 756-5252
Propane Users: Contact your propane provider
- All-Star Gas (formerly Empire Gas): (816) 741-1441
- Coop Propane: (816) 781-3300
- Ferrellgas/Platte City: (800) 637-6121
- Ferrellgas/1775 NE Choteau (816) 468-7700
- Nash Propane: 431-3300

A few of your other utilities may have been damaged from the fire or were shut off. You will need to contact your service company to restore service.

Southwestern Bell:
- Residential: (800) 734-7590
- Commercial: (800) 246-8484
American Cablevision: (816) 358-5444
Missouri Cities Water: (816) 741-2991
Water District # 6: (816) 741-7790
Waldron Water: (816) 891-3457

Don't use any electrical appliance that may have been exposed to water or steam until you have a qualified service representative check it for damage.

Food

We advise that you do not use any canned or jarred food products if they have been involved in the fire area. If there was no heat or smoke in the storage of food area, these products could possibly be used, but make sure they haven't bulged, dented, or rusted.

If your freezer has stopped running, you may still save the frozen food if the door has remained closed. It should stay for at least one day, depending on weather conditions. You should move the food as soon as possible, using insulated blankets and newspaper, to another freezer. Do not re-freeze food that has thawed.

To remove soot and smoke, use warm soapy water. The odor that may be present inside the refrigerator or freezer can be washed with a solution of baking soda and water. Or mix one cup of vinegar or ammonia to one gallon of water. You could even open boxes of baking soda or place a piece of charcoal inside the appliance to absorb the odor, too.

Furniture

To remove soot and smoke from walls, furniture, and floors, mix the following solution:

4 to 6 tbsp. Tri-Sodium Phospate
1 cup Lysol or any chlorine bleach
1 gallon warm water

Wash the article with the mixture, making sure you're wearing rubber gloves. Rinse the article with clean warm water, and dry thoroughly.

Walls may be washed down while wet. Use a mild soap or detergent. Wash a small area at a time, working from the floor up. Rinse the wall with clean water immediately. Ceilings should be washed last. Do not repaint until walls and ceilings are completely dried.

Your wallpaper can be repaired. Use a commercial paste to repair loose edges or sections. Contact a wallpaper dealer or installer for more information on wallpaper cleaners. Washable wallpaper can be washed like an ordinary wall, but care must be taken not to soak the paper. Work from the bottom to top to prevent streaking.

If the water got beneath a linoleum floor, it may cause an odor and warp the wood floor below. If this happens, you will need to remove the entire floor sheeting and allow the area to dry completely.

If tiles become wet, allow them to completely dry before trying to re-cement.

Throw rugs may be cleaned by beating, sweeping, or vacuuming, and then shampooing. You will need to get these rugs dried as soon as possible. Place them flat, and expose them to a circulation of warm, dry air. For information on cleaning and preserving carpets, call a carpet dealer or installer. You may also want to contact a qualified carpet cleaning professional.

Mattresses and pillows are nearly impossible to clean. The smoke odor will remain in feather and foam pillows. If a mattress must be used temporarily, put it in the sun to dry. Then cover it with plastic or rubber sheeting.

Follow these steps to clean wood furniture and fixtures:

- Do not dry your furniture in the sun. The wood will warp and twist out of shape.
- Remove mud and dirt.
- Remove drawers. Let them dry thoroughly so there will be no sticking when you replace them.
- Scrub with a stiff brush and a cleaning solution.
- Wet wood can decay and mold, so dry thoroughly. Open doors and windows for good ventilation.
- If mold forms, wipe the wood with a cloth soaked in water or a mixture of Borax dissolved in hot water.
- To remove white spots or film, rub the wood surface with a cloth soaked in a solution of 1/2 cup household ammonia and 1/2 cup water. Then wipe dry and polish with wax, or rub the surface with a solution of 1/2 cup turpentine and 1/2 cup linseed oil. Be careful, turpentine is combustible. Rags should be discarded with care.
- You can also rub the wood surface with a mild steel wool dipped in liquid polishing wax, wipe with a soft cloth and then buff.

Leather and Books

Leather may be wiped with a damp cloth and then with a dry cloth. Purses and shoes should be stuffed with newspapers to retain their shape and draw out moisture. Wet suitcases should be left open to dry.

All leather goods should be dried away from heat or the sun.

After goods have been dried, clean with saddle soap. On suede, you may use steel wool or a suede brush. Leather or suede jackets should be rinsed in cold water and dried away from heat or sun.

The best method to save wet books is to freeze them in a vacuum freezer. This type of freezer removes the moisture without damaging the pages. This needs to be taken care of as soon as possible.

If a vacuum freezer is not available right away, then place the books in a normal freezer until a vacuum freezer can be found.

REMODELING

All construction projects must have appropriate inspections to ensure compliance with current building codes and local ordinances.

You or your general contractor will need to contact the Southern Platte Fire Protection District at 741-2900 and your local jurisdiction. You will need building permits from both agencies.

Houston Lake: 741-0644
Parkville: 741-7676
Platte County: 858-2232
Platte Woods: 741-6688
Weatherby Lake: 741-5545

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

You may also be wondering why we did more "damage" to your home as we fought the fire. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:

Why did you cut a hole in my roof?
As fire burns, hot gases, smoke, and heat rise. As they hit the ceiling of the room, they move outward and down. We cut a hole in your roof to release these super-heated gases and smoke -- to let them keep rising -- which keeps them from causing further damage. This process is known as ventilation. While it caused some damage to the roof, it allowed the firefighters to enter the structure and fight the fire more efficiently. In the long run, this process results in less damage to the structure and your contents.

I saw firefighters breaking my windows. Why was this done?
We performed another form of ventilation. We released heated gases and smoke and allowed cooler air from outside the structure to enter the room. Again, this allowed quicker entry by firefighters.

Why are some of my belongings out on the front lawn?
Conserving your property is a high priority for us. We removed as much as possible to protect your things from intense heat, smoke, and water. You may have also noticed some of your belongings are underneath large blue sheets of plastic, or salvage covers. We did that for the same reason. We call this process "salvage."

Why are there holes in my ceilings and walls?
We make holes in walls to ensure that all of the fire is out, and no fire is hiding in a wall or ceiling. This process is known as overhaul.

Can I get a copy of the fire report for the insurance company?
You can get a copy of past fire incident reports by filling out a request form and giving it to the administrative assistant at Station 3. The cost of copying each report is $2.00.